Media Maneuvers

Tue., Mar. 13, 2018

Vice co-founder and CEO Shane Smith is stepping down from the company’s top role and handing over the reins to current A+E Networks president and CEO Nancy Dubuc. Smith will assume the role of executive chairman at Vice, focusing on strategic deals and content development. In her new job, Dubuc will still be involved with A+E, which jointly owns the Viceland channel with Vice Media. Until Dubuc’s successor at A+E is named, Abbe Raven, the company’s chairman emeritus and former CEO, will serve as acting chair, overseeing the transition. Vice has been in the midst of an executive shakeup, mostly precipitated by sexual harassment claims against chief digital officer Mike Germano, who left the company following allegations against him, and president Andrew Creighton, who has been on leave while the company’s board investigates a $135,000 settlement involving a former employee’s sexual harassment allegations.

Apple has signed an agreement to acquire digital magazine subscription service Texture. The service, which has been dubbed the “Netflix of magazines,” gives users access to over 200 magazine titles—including People, Forbes, National Geographic, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic and Rolling Stone—for one monthly subscription fee. It was launched in 2010 by Next Issue Media, which is currently owned by Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media and KKR. In 2016, Texture was chosen by the App Store editorial team for the annual Best Of selections, which celebrate the most innovative apps and games for iOS users. “We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

The Church of Scientology has launched its own television network, which went live on March 12. The network is available on AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Google Chromecast, with an app for the network available through either iTunes or Google Play. Programming on the network includes the shows “Meet a Scientologist” and “L. Ron Hubbard: In His Own Words.” The launch follows a wave of media scrutiny for the religion. “Scientology and the Aftermath,” an A&E series hosted by “King of Queens” actress Leah Remimi and “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” a 2015 Peabody and Emmy-winning documentary, both take the church’s actions and philosophy to task. “It’s TIME for us to tell OUR story…” reads a tweet from ScientologyTV. The tweet includes a video telling prospective viewers, “The only thing more interesting than what you’ve heard…is what you haven’t.”